


Clear-cut

by AmuletStormfall



Category: Legion of Super-Heroes (Comics)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Brainylyle, Happy Birthday Winter!, M/M, Slow Burn, with an
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 02:20:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21669865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmuletStormfall/pseuds/AmuletStormfall
Summary: Sometimes, things weren't as clear between the two as Lyle would like them to be.
Relationships: Querl Dox/Lyle Norg
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	Clear-cut

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WinterSky101](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterSky101/gifts).



To be completely honest, Lyle thought that he had this in the bag. 

The logical conclusion to reach, after Querl kissed his cheek like _that_ \- 'that' being a cliché after-the-battle kiss, a threw-his-arms-around-him kiss - was that Querl had a crush on him. 

He had an inkling of suspicion before this incident. After all, the Legionnaire could be prickly at times and it was clear that he didn't let just anyone get close to him. If one were to ask other members who Querl called his friends, Lyle would be one of the definite answers. For sure. 

That wasn't all, of course. There were the eyes that he felt watching him, when it was just the two of them in the lab, when Querl thought that Lyle wouldn't notice. There was the occasional fumble, where they were passing each other tools and Querl would drop the object, muttering a quick apology before hurriedly gathering it back into his arms and rushing to the other side of the lab. There was the casual hand on his shoulder, as Querl peeked over to observe (and, many times, correct) what Lyle was working on. Admittedly, these were likely to happen during the Legion's quieter days, when they were free to research and experiment, rather than finding a solution to an impending disaster. Querl wouldn't allow himself any distractions otherwise. 

Lyle was flattered to be able to distract such a focused mind, if his read on the other boy was accurate. If this wasn't his own mind creating its own narrative and reading too deeply into Querl's behaviour. 

Querl was the number one advocate for logic himself so Lyle convinced himself that, based on all this evidence, the next step was to take action. Test his theory, so to speak. 

So then, with them having one of their more peaceful days in the labs, with the only 'urgent situation' being their empty stomachs, Lyle thought he would try his luck. It was not unusual for them to simply head out to the cafeteria and have lunch, but they didn't have a lot of work to do, so he asked if Querl wanted to head over somewhere off-world. Take a half-day off with him. 

He didn't expect Querl to say no. 

"I'm sorry Lyle...we can't."

No, that wasn't right. He had accounted for the fact that Querl might say no. That Querl would insist that they had to keep busy or it would lead to an unproductive day and Lyle would counter that it would only be half a day off and that no one would mind. Maybe even a roll of the eyes, Querl adamantly staying put, with Lyle telling him that they'd have to do it another day then. Something along those lines. 

What he hadn't accounted for was the way Querl stiffened at the question, turned around slowly, took a deep breath and then responded with a voice that was so painfully _small_. And the way that he couldn't meet Lyle's eyes... It wasn't in the same way of Querl being occupied with his research; this was deliberate. 

He couldn't look at Lyle.

_Why?_ Why did Querl say it in that manner? Why couldn't he look at him? Unless...he completely understood Lyle's intentions with the invitation. Not only that, with the way he reacted the instant Lyle posed the question, it was as if he was expecting this. 

Lyle tried to force himself to say something, but he didn't know what he wanted to say. He couldn't feign ignorance, pretend that he didn't understand Querl's tone, not when he was so obviously asking Querl for a date. Obvious enough for Querl to answer him immediately, with no doubts about it. He couldn't laugh it off and say that Querl misunderstood. That he got it wrong, and how often did Querl get things wrong? Not often. Not this time. 

“We can’t?” he said this slowly, his words slanting upwards into a desperate plea for an explanation, even with the ‘can’t what?’ and ‘why not?’ left stuck in his throat. 

Querl did meet Lyle’s eyes this time.

“You know what I mean.” A statement, not a question, one that caught his unsaid words. “We - ” and the pause, the emphasis on that ‘we’ might have been the longest that Lyle had ever suffered through “- can’t.”

Suddenly the lab felt too closed in. Too blinding white. Too full of all things Querl, from the array of half-finished experiments that were scattered across the different benches, to the strong scent of sterilisation intended to keep the space sufficiently clean enough to sleep overnight in, to the Coluan himself, shoulders hunched forward and silent. 

He needed to leave. He couldn’t stay here any longer, it was too much -

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to fetch something from my quarters.” Before he knew it, Querl was brushing past him, the doors to the lab opening for him. He lingered at the doorway momentarily and Lyle heard the words ‘I’m sorry’ once more before they shut.

_Sprock._

Lyle found his legs gave way, as he crouched on the floor, head between his knees and hands pulling at his headband. 

_What just happened?_

He couldn’t move. Not after Querl had talked to him like _that_. As if Lyle had asked something that he shouldn’t have, as if he had prepared for this to happen and he had already decided what to say when Lyle would approach him.

Lyle thought that he had Querl figured out - that _of course_ Querl had a crush on him. It seemed like Querl had figured out the same thing about Lyle. 

Except, only one of them had got it right. If only one of them _could_ be right, then between him and Querl, well, he himself would have put all his money on the latter. He would have empty pockets to match the feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

_What have I done?_

He stayed there for quite a while and Querl did not return to the lab that day.

* * *

The next time Lyle talked to Querl wasn’t the day after the conversation. Lyle spent that day cooped up in his own room. It wasn’t the day after that, either. He did go out of his room the next day but only with his invisibility activated and only to go get some food to bring back to his room. It wasn’t by the third day of hiding himself in his room when there were finally knocks on his door and questions by some of the other Legionnaires who realised that they weren’t just missing out on spotting him because he was present but not visible. It wasn’t when he was finally coaxed out of his room by Chameleon, who made him actually sit in the cafeteria (powers off) and eat his dinner there. After translating for the Durlan for so long, they came to an understanding of when words didn’t need to be used, so Cham didn’t prod into the reasons why Lyle was feeling down. 

When Lyle finally exchanged words again with Querl, it was during a short-lived Legion mission. He kept things professional, he could do that at the very least but they didn’t speak about anything aside from the tasks they had to do and at the end of it, Lyle returned to his quarters.

That did result in some prodding the next time dinner rolled around.

Lyle knew that he was fairly well-liked amongst the Legionnaires; friendly but timid at times, smart but not overbearing. Still, he didn’t usually gather around a large group during mealtimes. The group that nudged its way into the table was something that he wasn’t used to.

“I don’t remember calling a meeting for the squad,” Lyle said, seeing that much of the group composed of the Espionage Squad. As Apparition and Ultra Boy were practically joined at the hip, he was here too. 

“Snooping around is our speciality,” Salu reminded him, “so of course we’re wondering what’s been going on.”

“More like what’s _not_ been going on,” Drake said. He wasn’t a member of the squad, but he certainly was a snoop, as Salu put it, which was why he was here, Lyle guessed. “I only went into the lab for a sec but wow there was a whole lotta tension. Not a single quip in the room, I had to hold myself back from saying something!”

Lyle shook his head and sighed. “I’m sure that was very difficult for you.” 

“Oh, believe me it was.”

Tinya cleared her throat. “What we’re actually here for, is to ask if you’re alright, Lyle? Did something happen with you and Brainy?”

“Did you guys break up?” Jo said, the thought of holding back probably not even crossing his mind. His wife gave him a good elbow to the sides for good measure. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, we weren’t dating.” While true, it still left a bitter taste in his mouth for Lyle to say. 

“Huh? Coulda sworn you were? Didn’t he give you a big ol’ smooch a while back - ” Another elbowing, most likely a little harder because Lyle heard an ‘oof’ come out of him. 

“No, we weren’t,” he said more firmly.

Maybe it was with a little too much bite because Jo raised his hands up defensively and said a quick ‘sorry’. 

“I didn’t think you were,” Cham piped up, after taking a backseat in the conversation. “Though, I thought Brainy had a crush on you.”

_Ouch._

“Oh, duh, everyone knows _that_ ,” Salu said, earning her a look of disbelief from Lyle. The Shrinking Violet really had come out of her shell now, huh? “Oh no, I can guess what happened. Brainy told you about his feelings, didn’t he? And you turned him down?”

A chorus of ‘ohhhs’ went around the table.

“Oh no I bet Brainy’s heart-broken right now,” Tinya said, sadly. “I’m sure it took a lot for someone with his pride to ask.”

_Wait._

“I feel kinda bad for the guy. He got on my nerves a lot less after he started hanging out with you more - _oof!_ ”

“I know what it’s like to like someone that way.”

“I might not have a body anymore but I sure do remember what heart-ache was like.”

_Stop, that’s not -_

“I get it,” Cham said, “I’m sure it makes things weird because you guys are best friends, right?”

“ _I_ was the one who got turned down!” The words burst out and he slammed his hands down on the table. Wildfire reached out just in time to save a glass of water from spilling over. He lowered his voice, “Okay?” 

By the way the other Legionnaires were exchanging confused expressions, it looked like he wasn’t the only one who had expected a different outcome.

“That’s, uh,” Tinya shot Jo a watch-your-words kind of look as he spoke, “surprising. Wanna tell us what happened?” He raised his hands in front of him again. “Only if you feel up to it.”

Well. He didn’t think he would talk about this to this bunch, let alone during dinner in the cafeteria. He glanced sideways and noticed that the rest of the Legionnaires had mostly left; he got a glimpse of Imra, who seemed to be guiding the last of them out. She noticed his stare and nodded, before leaving. _Didn’t even need her telepathy for this one, I’m guessing._

Sprock it. He was already feeling miserable, so why not share it? 

He ended up recounting his plans to take Querl out and even his plans for rescheduling the first plan. To their credit, the other Legionnaires listened attentively; even Drake didn't interrupt him once. By the time he had finished speaking he felt a tiny bit better. It was more difficult than he thought it would be, keeping things to himself. He was so good at it when he was doing spy work but - he regarded Tinya who was almost always open with her feelings - it wasn't always supposed to work that way. 

"Hm. You didn't seem to say...that much to each other," Cham said, appearing to choose each word carefully. “Are you sure there wasn't a...lack of communication in there? Maybe he really did mean that he wasn't able to accompany you that one time?" 

"I don't think that was it," Lyle said. "You didn't hear him Cham. He _knew_ how I felt. I could tell. You know how Brainy doesn't do things by halves, right? I think he realised that I wanted to spend time with him as...as more than just friends. And I guess he didn't want that. So, he put a stop to it before it could even really start." 

Lyle felt Cham put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. 

"I shouldn't have said anything. I was overly confidant with what I thought our relationship was like. But I was wrong and I thought I could handle just being friends with him, like before but we haven't _talked_ since then. Not like we used to. I just honestly never thought that he would notice _my_ feelings. But it was like he could see right through me."

A pause. 

And then, "I mean, most of us can." 

"What? You guys knew I had a crush on him too?" Lyle could swear that he was miles more subtle than Querl was. 

"No, it’s just, you know," Wildfire continued. "Most of us can see right through you. Pretty often, actually."

Groans instantly rang through the air. Accompanied by a few 'really's and a smack to his suit by Tinya who huffed out a 'you're unbelievable'. Even Jo rolled his eyes. 

"Okay, okay, but I couldn't help it! I mean we're literally seeing through him _right now._ "

_What? Oh grife._

He didn't know at what point it occurred, but he looked down and realised that he had unconsciously turned himself invisible. He deactivated his powers, though regretted it instantly because he was really embarrassed right now and could feel his cheeks heating up.

"Yeah, you kinda grew more invisible the more you talked about it but we didn't really want to say anything." Cham grinned sheepishly. 

As embarrassing as it was, Lyle almost appreciated the lightened atmosphere around the table. He was honestly quite impressed that they hadn’t made any snarky comments much sooner. 

“You know,” Salu said, “I think that maybe you should talk to him again.”

“You really think so?”

“Yeah, I’m with Vi,” Tinya agreed. “I think you need to clear the air. From what it sounds like, I don’t think you even talked about your feelings and maybe that’s something you need to do. And if Brainy tells you plainly that he doesn’t feel the same...well, then you can work on it from there.”

Lyle wasn’t sure if he would prefer to actually hear those words come out of Querl’s mouth but maybe he did need to hear them. He couldn’t very well hope to remain friends with all these things left unsaid…

“And obviously, I’m with Tinya,” Jo said, “I mean, I _still_ think Brainy’s gotta be head over heels for you. Who else can put up with him?” Tinya didn’t elbow Jo this time, which Lyle raised an eyebrow to. _So, she agrees with him._ Lyle was a bit more doubtful. “Aw, don’t make that face! I’m just sayin’ I think pretty weird that he kept saying that you guys ‘can’t’ and saying sorry and all. Not that he didn’t _want_ to go with you for your not-date or go out with you in general or whatever.”

_That’s..._ Lyle recalled Querl’s words perfectly, and Jo was... _right?_

If Querl didn’t want to do something, he would say so. He wasn’t shy about that. It was possible that the way he said it did…mean _something_.

“Hm? Why are you all staring at me like that?” Jo asked, crossing his arms.

“That’s it!” Tinya exclaimed. “That must be it!”

“You definitely have to talk to him now,” Drake said. He pointed to the doorway. “Go on!”  
  
Though Lyle’s mind was whirring, he faltered. “I don’t know, guys. It could be a bit of a stretch -”

“Damn it, Lyle just _go_!” Oddly enough, that was Salu. 

“ _Lyle, you better get your butt off this bench and go find Brainy,”_ said Cham, switching to Durlan. There was a word in there that Lyle thought might have been a Durlan profanity but wasn’t too sure. He got the gist of it, however.

It was strange. He never even considered discussing his love life, of all things, with the other Legionnaires, but they seemed to be fully invested in this. He knew they cared. He just always considered it in a we-work-together kind of way. He couldn’t help but smile as they practically ushered him out of the cafeteria. 

“Alright,” he said, finally conceding to them. “I’ll go talk to Brainy.”

“Good luck!” Tinya yelled, encouragingly. 

He gave them a small awkward wave as they stayed behind to clear up the food they had been eating, his own tray mostly untouched, though he couldn’t say the same for the others. 

His legs carried him in the direction of Querl’s lab. It was instinctively the first place to go to if he wanted to talk to Querl. However, he ran into Gates about halfway there, who promptly informed him that if he was looking for Querl, he was presently in his quarters. Lyle didn’t even ask how Gates knew he was looking for Querl and thanked him hurriedly, changing his course.

It didn’t take him long to arrive in front of Querl’s door. He raised a hand, about to knock on it. 

Doubt coursed through him once again. Was this a stupid idea, after all? Maybe he was just causing himself more pain that necessary. _Maybe Querl doesn't want to hear it. Maybe I'm just in over my head. Maybe -_

_Maybe I’m just making a bunch of dumb sprocking excuses._

He wasn’t ready to let this go yet.

Not until they had a proper talk.

After taking a deep breath, he knocked firmly on Querl’s door.

A few moments later, the door slid open and Lyle stepped in.

Instantly, he was once again acutely aware of the scent of the room, the scent of Querl, stronger here than in the lab. While Querl’s lab was a cluttered mess, his living quarters were pristine. The boy himself was sat by his desk, appearing almost as if he was a part of the furniture. He looked up at Lyle and he considered turning invisible again for a second. He didn’t, though. Instead he forced himself to meet Querl’s eyes. 

“Hey.”

Grife, the unsteadiness of his voice cut through the room much too cleanly. Still, he was going to do this. 

He had to.

“Brainy, can we talk?”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Winter!!! If you're wondering how I knew it was your birthday you might recall this tweet I linked you to.
> 
> https://twitter.com/thestormfall/status/1157797380433022977?s=19
> 
> Call me an honorary member of the Espionage Squad. Heh. (Unless maybe you figured out I was trying to get your birthday out of you...in which case...dang I ain't slick.)
> 
> In all seriousness, I do hope that you enjoyed this! I've really enjoyed the past few months we've spent talking and I always look forward to hearing from you. 
> 
> Ahem, onto the fic itself. I figured the best way to make the present a slow burn was to have it be a multi-chapter thing, starting on your actual birthday. So, here you go! And yes, I chose this title entirely for pun purposes. Also, if you want to know why Jo and Drake in addition to the Espionage Squad...Well, I thought it would be funny. This is exactly why this is 'attempt at humour' rather than just plain 'humour' lol I should probably also tag this heart-break or something but like....spoilers amirite.
> 
> Anyway, once again I hope you've had a wonderful birthday!
> 
> Thanks for reading and for anyone else who reads this too!
> 
> \- Dina
> 
> p.s. I'm eager to get this out now so if there are any mistakes I'll go and check that back later!


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